As much as half of the energy used in your home goes toward heating and cooling, so when it comes to saving on your utility bills, a great place to start is by looking at ways to reduce energy demand from your heating and cooling system.

In addition to replacing old, inefficient equipment before it fails, Perry provides the following tips, tools and calculators to help you make energy saving solutions.

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other systems in your home. Typically, 43% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. What's more, heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global climate change. They also generate about 12% of the nation's sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain.

It does not matter what kind of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energy-efficient furnace alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using the whole-house approach. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20% to 50%.